Briefly

A Derby man has pleaded guilty to one count of tampering with the drug Demerol at a medical center, U.S. Atty. Eric Melgren said Tuesday.

Dennis M. Pray, 33, admitted in his plea that while employed as a licensed practical nurse at the Derby Family Medical Center he obtained Demerol for his personal use.

Pray, manager of the center's Ambulatory Surgical Center, told District Judge Monti L. Belot he siphoned the drug from containers in the center's drug safe and replaced it with saline solution.

The theft was first reported to police in February. The center installed a surveillance camera and recorded numerous instances where Pray got into the center's drug safe.

A sentencing date has not yet been set. Pray faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison without parole.

Shawnee

Heart attack ruled cause of lake death

A kayaker who died Monday at a Johnson County park suffered a fatal heart attack before falling into a lake, investigators said Tuesday.

Park maintenance worker Ralph Schlagel, 52, of Olathe, was fishing from the kayak during his off hours when he fell into Shawnee Mission Lake around 8:30 p.m. Monday. Witnesses said Schlagel stood in his kayak, arched his back and fell into the water.

Schlagel was underwater for about five minutes and resuscitation attempts failed.

Junction City

Truck-tractor collision leaves one dead

A Junction City woman died after her pickup truck collided with a farm tractor, the Kansas Highway Patrol said.

Ada Harloff, 70, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash Monday morning, about eight miles west of Junction City on Kansas Highway 18, the patrol said.

The tractor's driver was not hurt in the accident.

Authorities said Harloff was eastbound and attempting a left turn into a driveway when her truck collided with a westbound John Deere tractor.